The season finale is here and it's all come down to Korra vs. Amon!
Credits & Solicit Info:
Review:
The Unified Nation fleet is ravaged by a new Equalist weapons. Korra and her gang with General Iroh split into two fronts; one to stop the new Equalist weapons from attacking the reinforcement fleet and the other to attack Amon himself. However, what Korra and Mako find about Amon's true lineage will change everything.
There is a lot to take in in these mere two episodes. Not just the fact that this is the finale, but how much closure we get. It's kind of surprising given this series has another season yet refreshing in the fact that every plot point is addressed by the end of the episode.
I have to admit it's weird hearing the voice of Zuko, Dante Basco, back on the show and now voicing General Iroh. It is a welcome return to hear one of the former cast back and it's a nice passing of the torch in a way. Likewise to see another child of Aang's, General Bumi, who is just as utterly awesome as the man he was named after. In those five seconds, Bumi just stole the best humorous moment from the show. Well, okay Bolin took the remaining moments.
Though, one negative I think some will have with this episode is Amon's complete past. You knew it was coming, and given all the theories some people are probably peeved they didn't pan out. I myself suspected this actual plot point revelation, though I figured Amon had some extra help. It turns out he did, but the master he learned it from was revealed from this season, not the past series. The answer to the riddle of Amon does make perfect sense and isn't a last minute sort of reveal. One must remember that Korra had first gotten these flashbacks to the past the moment she faced off with Amon, not Tarrlok. Plus other little things should make re-watching episodes interesting because now you realize how Amon did what he did.
I have to say who Amon was and his fate at the end of the episode were utterly satisfying. I mean seriously, has what happened to Amon EVER happened in an American cartoon? Nope. The look on his face was total realization everything he had said before was a lie. There was only one true end for him. In that regard, you cannot help but feel sad for him. As for what tier Amon has in the past tiers of Avatar villains, he sure is a high one for me. He had so many dimensions and like Azula before him even though you were supposed to hate this bastard, you couldn't help but sympathize. Though like Azula, his ending was also just perfect. I really hope this truly was the last time we ever see Amon given just how powerful that ending was.
Other characters got some much needed back-story as well, surprisingly of all people, Tarrlok and the Lieutenant of Amon. Tarrlok and Amon's pasts as well are the stuff of true Shakespearean tragedy. That both cannot escape what formed them as a men. Though given his imprisonment, it's Tarrlok's reflection that makes him realize what a fool he became. Like Amon's final fate, so is Tarrlok's just darn so interesting because again these sorts of issues and actions never happened. It's why people love this show. It pushes boundaries and issues not normally seen in cartoons nowadays with everything being so politically correct or shows on a shoe string budget. Unless the creators show them in the second season and I highly doubt this given the head writers of this show have done this before in the past series. These two characters' fates and stories will be talked about for a long time.
Then there's the nameless Lieutenant. We still don't know this dude's name yet just in the final moments of the final episode you understand that he truly was loyal to Amon's cause and to see the truth was just a nice horrific shock to him. I really hope that the character returns in the next season. There is a lot of untapped potential with this fella and you just have to use him given this dude is voiced by Lance Henriksen.
All this talk and I still haven't even gotten to the actual main character of this show, Korra. It's truly been a great journey as we seen how anti-Aang she had been at the start of this series and now is fully becoming the role she was destined to be as the Avatar. Also how she finally air bends is so random and yet so un-aang like I couldn't help but chuckle and root for her. Of course when you're doing that again you know the show you're watching is quite special.
If anything, the new possibilities for next season come from her as the inevitable to what I've been waiting for finally happens in this episode: Korra finally meets her past selves. Also just seeing how she finally got to see Aang and her past selves it was so anti-Aang and perfect. I never gave props to Korra's voice actor before, but I shall now. Janet Varney does such a great job voicing the character and conveys so much emotion in her voice. It's funny in a way how the people behind this show find the most perfect rookie voice actors (like in the past the main cast save for Basco and Mako.) yet their voice acting was just so good. Same goes for Varney. If this is her only voice acting role then it was a hell of a role. If not, I'm curious to see what other characters she might voice in the future.
If there are any really serious negatives to the two episodes, they are that the resolution to Asumi and her father and the whole romance triangle between Asumi/Korra/Mako. The former is really understandable given there's just so much going on that something had to be put lightly in the episode. So here's hoping that is given more to look at in the next season. Really the only element that's been lacking in this series has been this romantic subplot. It just feels rushed and not fully flushed out. I get that the team only had twelve episodes to tell this, but it could have been handled better.
Given that this is Avatar and a season finale everything must be notched up to an eleven. The acting, drama, action and humor are all taken to the levels one expects this show to given what we've seen in the past. Everyone gets their little moment to shine in the entire cast, even though the main feature is the final fight between Korra and Amon, which doesn't disappoint. We see some great moments throughout this finale and some good closure to tide us until well it's unknown at the moment just when Season Two will happen. Some rumors say fall of next year, but that's all there is merely rumor. Until then suck it up and enjoy what an incredible journey this first season of the show was. This season lived fully up to what came before it and has a promising future ahead of it. Well for one more season...
5 out of 5
Review by: Zechs
http://www.theouthousers.com/index.php/reviews/entertainment-reviews/20030-the-legend-of-korra-111-a-12-skeletons-in-the-closetendgame.html/
by LOLtron » Mon Jun 25, 2012 12:52 pm 
You know all that was missing was a.. "BANG!"
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